First Vote on Paying Excepted Workers Fails in the Senate

Oct 23, 2025

NATCA Family,

We messaged you earlier this week to make you aware of two bills that were being introduced in the Senate that would appropriate funds to pay federal employees during the shutdown. There are now four bills that have been introduced.

Late last week, Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) introduced the Shutdown Fairness Act, which would pay excepted employees for their work performed during the shutdown, including air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals, some federal contractors, and active-duty military. However, this afternoon the Senate's preliminary vote on whether to proceed to consideration of the Shutdown Fairness Act failed to reach the required 60-vote threshold.

In addition to the Johnson bill, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) introduced The True Shutdown Fairness Act, which would pay excepted employees for their work performed during the shutdown, but would also include paying furloughed federal employees. Alternatively, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) introduced the Keep America Flying Act, which would pay just air traffic controllers and other operational FAA employees and TSA security personnel, while Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) introduced the Military and Federal Employee Protection Act to pay all members of the military, federal employees, and federal contractors during the shutdown. None of these alternative bills is currently scheduled for consideration by the Senate.

NATCA's top legislative priority is to end the shutdown. NATCA also strongly supports any bill that would ensure our members are paid during the shutdown.

The National Legislative Committee and NATCA Government Affairs staff are working with members of the NATCA Majority on both sides of the aisle in the Senate to end the shutdown, or alternatively to support legislation that would pay air traffic controllers and other aviation safety employees.

We remain focused on ending the shutdown as soon as possible so all of our members can resume performing their critical aviation safety work without the added distractions caused by the shutdown and receive timely pay for that work.

In Solidarity,

David Skarphol
Chair, National Legislative Committee

Allison Schwaegel
Vice-Chair, National Legislative Committee